Depicting Working Dogs
TELLING TALES OF SERVICE AND EMOTIONALSUPPORT CANINES CAN BE ENTERTAINING, BUT SHOULD STILL BE ROOTED IN REALITY
A DOG THAT REMOVES ANXIETY from its human’s life by killing the people who cause her stress may be a heightened, fantastical look at emotional-support animals, but because there is now such a wide range of small-screen content depicting such therapeutic resources, one does not have to represent all. Education about them is mixing with entertainment. A killer emotional-support dog is at the center of Blumhouse Television’s latest “Into the Dark” installment for Hulu, “Good Boy.” But even this horror satire may expose an audience to the idea of emotional-support dogs for the first time. That is why, according to Sheila Goffe, vice president of government relations, American Kennel Club, no matter the genre or format, the most important thing when depicting such dogs is to do so accurately for their classification. “These dogs mitigate individual disabilities, and they’re simply amazing,” she says. “A dog that helps with mobility assistance is going to look quite different from a dog that is helping with invisible disabilities such as PTSD or military sexual trauma. There are many different services these dogs provide, but there is always a behavioral standard. So, nailing down that behavioral standard is absolutely key for representation.” This has become even more important now that there is a slew of series showcasing service and support dogs. “Good Boy” may be the most recent example, but in the past few years storytelling has opened up greatly — from tales about guide dogs in the CW’S